RPAGF Chapter 7258 Crisis
Chapter 7258 Crisis
Chapter 7258 Crisis
After receiving the clear confirmation, Peng Cai didn't say a word more and turned to leave. What did it matter to him whether there was anything fishy about the Kuaiji Shipyard or what variables might be involved? His mission was to find out whether the Kuaiji Shipyard had twenty energy-type turrets.
If yes, then there's nothing more to say; the other party just needs to deliver it to Jiangling on time. If no, then he should pass on a message that they might both need to be punished, since he's currently in a state of redeeming himself through meritorious service, and since he hasn't received any merit yet, they'll definitely have to be punished together.
Therefore, after receiving Zhou Jun's stamped reply confirming the time, Peng Cai didn't linger in Kuaiji and simply slipped away. He left the remaining space and time to Zhou Jun and Zou Ta. Peng Cai had no way to handle this matter; it was up to Zhou Jun and Zou Ta to decide.
After Peng Cai left without any hesitation, Zhou Jun looked at Zou Ta in front of him and saw that his face was a little pale, but the situation was not yet beyond repair, and the Huiji Shipyard could still be saved.
"Brother Zou, is your brother reliable?" Zhou Jun tried his best to control his emotions before asking Zou. Peng Cai hadn't brought any official seal with him, only a verbal message. Now that things were over, Zhou Jun had barely regained his composure and couldn't help but ask this question.
"I wish he was bluffing me, but I don't dare to gamble now. Factory manager, do you want to gamble?" Zou said very rationally, then plopped down on the big wooden chair, making a loud noise. But at this moment, neither of the two people present cared about this behavior.
"What a load of rubbish! Who would come to the Kuaiji Shipyard to play this kind of joke for no reason? Would you?" Zhou Jun cursed. "The other party should be the one you said came to report the news. Besides, even if it's fake, we have to treat it as real. If we can produce it, then there's no problem. If we can't produce it..."
"How do we take them?" Zou looked at Zhou Jun's solemn expression. Unlike the situation at Wujun Shipyard, where a few well-maintained ships were placed on the outskirts to fool people while the rest were piled up in the government warehouse, the warehouses at Kuaiji Shipyard were truly empty of all the ship cannons. They had all been rented out and made money.
"Of course we've got them back, Brother Zou. I'll have someone notify the families who rented the cannons, and then you'll lead a team to retrieve them. Twenty cannons might be a bit difficult, and it might require some luck, but I don't think the situation will get so bad that we can't even get twenty back. As for transportation, we'll start preparing now." Facing imminent death, Zhou Jun's mind became sharp, without any hesitation or worry.
"I might resort to some violent means," Zou said very seriously.
“If there are any families that can’t count, then don’t be polite at this point,” Zhou Jun said in a deep voice. “My brother is about to die, and you’re talking about ‘counting’ now? Then I can only let you die first. Besides, it was a lease agreement, not a sale to you.”
“Okay, I’ll go now,” Zou said in a deep voice.
“Brother Zou, you need to take out some of the money you’ve received over the past two years, and I’ll add some more. Then, if anyone says anything about this later, we’ll have a plan. We have indeed made some money, so we’ve put that part of the profit into the books first.” Zhou Jun looked at Zou Ta with an extremely serious expression.
When Peng Cai came to find Zou Ta, after explaining the situation in Wu County, Zou Ta was able to immediately confirm that the warehouse of the Kuaiji Shipyard was empty because he was also a member of this group. Zhou Jun rented out idle resources to local families to reduce inventory, reduce maintenance manpower and costs, and so on. Zou Ta also attended the meeting and received a share of the money.
"Huh?" Zou looked at Zhou Jun. He didn't mind being a thug, or even using some violent means to forcibly take the gun emplacements from the families who had rented them from the shipyard. But Zou really didn't want to pay.
This is no small amount of money. As the head of the security department, and a top-level sixth-level smelter, Zou has been rooted in the Kuaiji Shipyard for many years and has built up quite a network of connections there. But for Zou, all these things are just for making money.
This man was truly terrified of poverty. Every time he recalled how he struggled to make ends meet, Zou vowed to become rich. Later, he joined the army, fought on the battlefield, and worked his way up to his current position. But for Zou, nothing was as important as the path Zhou Jun had arranged for him.
Because this loan agreement guarantees a stable and important annual payout!
This is real money, and I'm not kidding!
"Brother Zou?" Zhou Jun looked at Zou Ta and instantly realized that something was wrong. Zou Ta didn't want to pay? What a joke! To completely smooth things over, besides the cannon, there needs to be an explanation. Did he really think the higher-ups were blind and couldn't find out?
With such a major incident at the Wujun Shipyard, an investigation team will definitely come. And once the investigation team arrives at the Wujun Shipyard, they will inevitably come to Kuaiji. If the investigation team arrives in Kuaiji and still cannot find out what the Kuaiji Shipyard has been doing all these years, then they are underestimating the investigation team.
So now we not only need to bring back more than twenty forts, but also need to provide a lease certificate to show that it was approved by a collective vote of the entire Kuaiji Shipyard. Since there is a lease certificate and the fact of the lease, there must be a rent fee.
Although this whole logic is not perfect and there are many flaws to be found, and it is not impossible to find fault with it, it has gone to this extent. The cannons have arrived, the money has been paid, and it has indeed been used when needed. Given Zhou Jun's background, it is likely that he will only be punished with a slap on the wrist. They can't really kill him for such a small matter, can they? What a joke!
This is also a way to reduce staff and increase efficiency, and an effective way to develop new platforms and generate revenue!
Moreover, what Zhou Jun did was not a big deal even in later generations. As long as he could take out the items when needed, it wouldn't even be considered a punishment.
In later generations, which large car company didn't lease out its surplus inventory first? On the one hand, it reduced the space occupied by the inventory, on the other hand, it's better to keep the machinery in use than to leave it sitting there, and in addition, it can make a profit.
Think about it: it's perfectly normal for a large heavy truck company to have several thousand vehicles in inventory. But if you think about it carefully, several thousand vehicles in inventory means more than a billion yuan in capital tied up, a large amount of warehouse space occupied, plus inventory personnel, security costs, and maintenance that must be carried out to prevent the vehicles from being idle for a long time. The company not only has to tie up more than a billion yuan in capital each year, but also has to invest tens of millions more.
This is so frustrating, but what if we rented out all of this inventory? We don't need to rent it all out, just a portion. After all, there's a mathematical model designed for this purpose, ensuring that when someone comes to pick up or inspect a car, there are inventory cars available on the spot.
As for the matter of higher-ups coming to inspect the warehouse, it's partly a matter of custom, and partly because unless you've offended someone, you should have received prior notice before the inspection. Most heavy truck companies have military-related components, so it's unlikely that a van would come and forcibly conduct an inspection.
If a van full of people suddenly rushes over to check, that's a serious violation of the law. The thing is, if you've already violated the law, what else can you say? Even without this rental agreement, you'd still be dead.
So under normal circumstances, everyone agrees to do what they're supposed to do. If you rent out a few thousand cars, you can even earn half of the money back in a year when the economic situation was better. As for maintenance costs, personnel costs, and site occupancy costs, I've already rented them out, so why should I worry about those?
More importantly, in the years when things were good, there was no need to worry about these properties not being rented out. Moreover, each company had connections with large infrastructure groups, so cooperation was mutually beneficial, and the saying that everyone could make money together was not just empty talk.
Therefore, at that time, renting out these capital-intensive items was a perfectly reasonable and mutually beneficial operation. As for the potential damage after they were rented out, frankly, it was not a problem at all.
What are car factories for? A five-year-old used car can be sent to the final assembly plant and made to look brand new, if you're willing to pay. Do you even know what the final assembly plant does? It's where they build brand new trucks from scratch. So, a car rented out for two years, unless you find someone extremely dedicated who drives it hundreds of thousands of kilometers a year, can be brought back, repaired, and given all sorts of finishing touches, and it'll be like new again.
Moreover, there are also scrapping policies for inventory vehicles. If such a situation really occurs, just delay it, leave some loopholes in the quota, admit that there are problems with your maintenance methods and management loopholes, and the matter will be over. Once the car is in the scrap workshop, the matter will be resolved.
As for cars that have been rented for several years being brought back and someone wants to buy them, that's no problem either. They'll go through the three main components in the workshop, and then the experienced mechanics will do a thorough finishing touches. When they come out, they'll be practically indistinguishable from new cars. If they're honest, they'll give you a 50% discount, and you can drive the car away for half price.
Furthermore, since it's an original car, the three major components have been serviced. Honestly, if you're skilled enough, a used car that's been used in China for five years can go through this process and still last for another five years in Africa. So, this kind of half-price car is actually quite good and guaranteed, as long as you find the right person. More importantly, everyone benefits.
This is what resource integration and reuse means. If left in place, resources will only gradually become obsolete. To extend their lifespan, additional manpower will be needed for maintenance, and huge amounts of capital will be tied up. However, by renting them out, all of these problems are solved, and everyone involved can receive a large sum of money.
With thousands of cars on the road, the annual income was honestly no less than that of a large company. More importantly, all the previous wear and tear didn't need to be calculated. The rental company would take care of everything. They would provide maintenance and tow the cars to their own workshops, wishing that the cars would never stop running!
Aside from possible checks, but that's okay, mathematical models can solve all your problems. You've already done this and made so much money, so what's a little loss to find a top mathematician to provide a mathematical model? It's just a matter of spending money, what's there to be afraid of!
In short, Zhou Jun's situation this time is just missing a mathematical model.
As for connections and background, Zhou Jun had everything in place. He was willing to spend money to smooth things over and to make connections with superiors and subordinates. He had done all that. The only thing missing was a math expert. However, even with a math expert, unexpected events like this were still possible.
"Brother Zou, you're not really unwilling to pay, are you? You must know how serious this is." Zhou Jun looked at Zou Ta with a gloomy expression. As the leaders, he and Zou Ta absolutely had to pay for this. If they didn't, things would get really bad. Only when they paid, and everyone on this line paid, could it be proven that this was indeed a collective decision.
If Zou doesn't pay up, and other lower- and middle-level officials do, sooner or later someone will be resentful. The worst thing about this kind of thing is that someone will escalate the situation. Zhou Jun can resolve things, but he doesn't want to resolve one thing after another.
Because it's unnecessary. There's a standard answer, so why not follow it? It's just a little money, not all the money we've earned, just the money from the last two years. Besides, if this matter passes this time, it will become the norm and can be put on the table. Just consider it as paying for access. Even if it can't be put on the table directly in the future, it will still be tacitly approved by the higher-ups and a consensus among the lower-ups. How can money not be made then? Why bother, right?
As an elite from a family of high-ranking officials, Zhou Jun was very clear-headed. He knew very well that the higher-ups didn't care if he messed around down there, and they even knew he was messing around. As long as there was no public resentment or unrest, the higher-ups wouldn't specifically investigate.
Some things are simply things that officials won't investigate unless the people report them.
Just like this incident, Zhou Jun didn't believe that after he handed over the turret, the investigation team would come down and find out the truth. But even if they did find out, what could they do?
Even if this happens once, the next time it happens, there won't be as much worry as this time, because the higher-ups know about it and haven't vetoed it, which is tacit approval. As long as nothing goes wrong, everyone can benefit from this resource integration, so there's no need to investigate further.
After all, legal money is money, and illegal money that hasn't escalated to the point of causing public resentment is acceptable. Ultimately, people need to eat, and eating requires money.
At this point, Zhou Jun had even thought about the consequences. If the higher authorities issued an official document prohibiting it after this incident, he would stop. If the higher authorities were ambiguous about this matter, he would be more open and aboveboard, and then allocate a portion of the money to the general account so that everyone would have a share. In this way, if he were to do it again next time, he would at most go to jail, and nothing serious would happen to him.
His Zhou family's resources are still sufficient. As long as the higher-ups are vague, it means they are also considering this matter and intend to conduct a pilot program. He can then help them try it out. After all, his background and the margin for error are there. He's not from a poor family, so it doesn't matter. His uncle is Zhou Yu, so he can handle this kind of thing!
It's not like they really committed a crime. The higher-ups are being ambiguous, which leaves a lot of room for maneuver. It's just that the higher-ups are also considering the impact of this matter!
Zou hadn't expected Zhou Jun to be thinking so far ahead, already considering development after overcoming the crisis. He was still hesitant; he really didn't want to spend the money.
"Brother Zou, I'll pay this money in your name, but you have to follow my instructions from now on." Seeing Zou's expression, Zhou Jun knew that this guy couldn't let go of the glittering coins. Knowing that he couldn't get entangled with Zou at this time, nor could he force him, and given that there wasn't enough time, Zhou Jun gritted his teeth and said that he would help Zou settle this.
"Huh?" Zou was stunned for a moment. He looked at Zhou Jun, wanting to refuse, but he really couldn't bear to part with the money once he got it. His whole life had been about making money!
"No, I know you're reluctant, but we don't have time now. I'll take the money, and you take your men to bring the naval guns back," Zhou Jun said in a deep voice. This was no longer the suggestion he had given before; if you'd taken his money, you had to follow his orders.
"Okay." Zou was silent for a moment before agreeing to Zhou Jun's words.
"Go quickly, we're counting on you now." Zhou Jun stood on tiptoe and patted Zou's shoulder.
Zou didn't say a word. It was impossible for him to pay money, but he was very confident and prepared to lead a fight. He went straight to the security department, gathered all the security personnel, and dismissed anyone who was late. Then, he took his weapons and equipment and headed straight for the nearest Zhang family, who had rented several naval cannons.
Meanwhile, Peng Cai had returned to Wu County before nightfall, bringing with him a receipt signed by Zhou Jun, which he handed to Liao Li.
"The Kuaiji Shipyard didn't mess things up?" Liao Li was somewhat surprised as he took the receipt with a clear timeline. Zhang Song, who was also beside him, was equally astonished after looking at it. Based on what they had seen of Xu Hu today, Zhou Jun's ability to give a clear timeline and guarantee that the goods would be transported to Jiangling was indeed beyond their expectations.
"Unbelievable. I met Zhou Jun back then. He was a rather shrewd young man, but not particularly wise. He was about the same as Xu Hu," Liao Li said with a hint of unease. "I never imagined that in less than ten years, the two of them would be so different. It's truly unbelievable. Is this the growth brought about by upbringing?"
"There's only one possibility left. It just means that the families of high-ranking officials have their own methods of education." Zhang Song was also somewhat puzzled, but the other party's reply had a clear timeframe, so it couldn't be a joke. In other words, the other party really wasn't messing around, which was quite impressive.
As for Peng Cai, he stood aside and pretended to be dead. Unlike Zhang Wen, he wouldn't talk nonsense. Even if he vaguely guessed something, he wouldn't say a word. What does guessing have to do with the facts? Right?
This is true; I didn't make this up at all.